wanderings

Tonight I was in a mood. And I didn't know how to get out of it. On a whim I decided to get out my water colors and decided to create something. Anything.

Usually when I paint, or do any sort of craft or project, I'm creating something for someone else or something I want to put up in my home. Any project I undertake is full of pressure from that rarely-seen perfectionist in me to get things right the first time. I have these thoughts that if what I make isn't 'good enough' to display in the house, it has no value. Which is silly.

This (bad) attitude keeps me from wanting to use my watercolors.. I don't consider myself good at it - but I enjoy the process, mixing the colors, and it's easy to clean up. 

So tonight I told myself: Paint just to paint. Experiment. You aren't trying to make this look good for anyone - just have fun.

And I did. 

These paintings were pretty aimless. All I had in mind was that I wanted to use floral-y colors and designs.

The colors I used made me happy. And I even used the wrong colors in the wrong places.

By the time I was finished, I remembered how much I enjoy making something from nothing -

- even if it's not something that will ever be seen or appreciated by anyone but myself. I need to remind myself that I don't need praise in order to feel good about what I do. 

And sometimes I need to wander. Enjoy my journey. See what I can do without worrying so much about the end result.